Easel



J. BLYTH.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

'/zzfs ATTORNEY Cil UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.v

TOI-IN BLYTI-I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TAPRELL, LOOMIKS & COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.k

EASEL.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN BLYTH, of Chicago, in the county of Cool; and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Easels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to paper manufactures and more particularly to picture and sign vexhibiting and it has for its object to provide a simple, cheap and eilieient easel the parts of which may be made from sheet material and which will embody a disappearing brace of a nature rendering it easy to assemble and to manipulate between its operative and inoperative positions. The invention is applicable to photographic mounts or folders and another object of the invention is to so apply the easel brace that it does not disligure the mount in case the easel feature is not to be used. To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and oombinations of parts all as will'be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a photographic mount and easel constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear view showing the brace in inoperative position;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the brace alone on the scale of Fig. 2;

Fig. Li is a section on the line d-fl of Fig. 2, land Fig. 5 is a similar section but showing the brace in operative position.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The photographic mount or folder that I have illustrated in the present instance comprises a double walled backing formed by securing a mounting board l against the.

body 2 of a folder having the usual side naps 3 that are adapted to fold down and conceal the board l and its contents. The board has the usual corner retaining pockets 4: for engaging and holding the photograph and these also operate to space the elements Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N0V 23, lgga Application filed. October 17, 1919.

Serial No. 331,365.

l and 2 of the complete backing. All of the parts ofthe device may be made of cardboard or stiff paper.

At about the center of the backing, I

easel feature is not to bc used. To provide an easel, the brace shown in Fig. 3 is applied. This brace also cut out of card board to embody an enlargement 6 at its lower end and an enlargement 7 at its upper end constituted by two rounded lateral ears S. The brace is scored on the line 9 forming the `iunction between the enlargement 7 and the intermediate portion l0, which latter is tapered from this point downwardly toward the lower enlargement 6.

In assembling, the brace is inserted in the slot 5 of the backing by holding it in a canted position and inserting first one ear 8 and then the other in a manner familiar to those experienced with collapsible articles. Then the mount is not in use, the brace may be shoved almost completely through the slot 5 so that the major portion thereof is accommodated between the walls l and 2 of the backing, as shown in Fig. 4, and in dotted lines in Fig. 2, with only a portion of the enlargement 6 protruding. The enlargement 6 forms a finger-piece to grip the brace and when it is desired to move it to operative position, it is pulled out as shown in Figs. l and 5 until stopped by the ears 8. This brings the scored line 9 into coincidence with the slot 5 and the brace is creased along this line so that the enlargement 7 is disposed at a slight angle. The brace isnow adapted to support the folder upright for the reason that its upper end edge frictionally engages the inner wall l of the backing and it is pinched between the walls of the slot along the scored and creased line 9 at which point the slight angle formed abuts the upper wall of the slot.

The tapered intermediate portion of the brace permits it to slide freely in and out of the slot without danger of splitting and enlarging the latter.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an easel, the combination with a backing having double walls, the'k rear wall being provided with a slot at an intermediate point7 of a brace extending slidablT through the slot and having retracted position in which its major portion is accommodated between the said Walls and an extended position in which it constitute-s a leg adapted to rest upon the saine surface as the lower portion of the backing.

2. In an easel, the combination with a backing having double Walls, the rear Wall being provided With a slot at an intermediate point, of a tapered brace of sheet ma terial extending slidably through the slot with its narrower portion outermost, said brace having a retracted position in which its major portion is accommodated between said'walls and an extended position in which it constitutes a leg adapted to restupon the saine surface as the lower portion of the backing.

In an easel, the combination` with a backing having. double-Walls, the reark Wall being provided with a slot, of a. brace extending shdably through the slot and havjing a retracted position in which its major portion is accommodated between the said Walls, both the inner and outer ends of the brace being provided with enlargements wider than the slot to prevent the brace from passing entirely therethrough in either direction.

41. In an easel, the combination With a backing having double Walls, the rear Wall` 

